Narrow Minds

Here’s an excerpt from the Monday, July 6th edition of the Wall Street Journal, featuring an insightful article on the importance of skinny jeans in the men’s market:

“Skinny jeans, with tapered legs and narrow-peg ankles, seemed like a flash in the pan when they appeared in stores a few years ago. They seemed more suited to women. Today, though, sales of men’s skinny jeans are going strong, and mass brands Gap and Levi’s are getting in on the action.”

“Explanations abound for why men would want to wear jeans that look so uncomfortable and impractical. Some fashion observers say skinny jeans’ tight hold on certain men stems in part from the wearers’ desire to show off their gym-sculpted bodies. Then, too, denim brands, retailers and men’s fashion magazines have relentlessly promoted skinny jeans. And pop stars like Justin Timberlake and Kanye West, by wearing skinny jeans, have given something resembling permission for style-conscious young men to wear them.”

“But men are discovering, as women have long known, that the style can be unforgiving. One sometimes must diet and wiggle, tug and stretch to squeeze into a pair of tight jeans.”